2017 Goals 6 Month Update

I can't believe it is June already.  Half the year is already over.  So much has happened and we still have so much planned.  Busy, Busy, Busy :)

I thought it would be neat to see where we are in our 6 month goal update.

Our 2017 goals are:

1) To get out of credit card debt- we are currently sitting at $9,919.34
We are still climbing this mountain.  We are doing great with this but we had a few setbacks.  Nathan and I got new glasses that added over $750 to our debt :(  But I am happy at the progress we have made so far.  Our new debt total is: $8773.39

2) To finally lose this extra "baby" weight- this has been a goal for a few years but some how the scale went in the opposite direction and instead of needing to lose 10-15 pounds that number has crept up to 35 pounds :(
Still working hard on this and trying to work out a new plan.

3) For Nathan and myself to get new glasses.  I desperately need new glasses, we have figured out that super glue is not all that super or permanent :(
YAY :)  We finally got new glasses.  I had been putting it off now for a while.  The final straw is when the other side of my glasses decided to break.  Many thanks to a mini basketball that bounced off the basketball hoop and straight into the side of my face, leading to the breakage of the other side of my glasses :( 

4) To get a new to us vehicle.  I LOVE the fact that our vehicle is paid off and do not look forward to having a vehicle payment but our poor poor van is on its last breath :(  We keep having to take it in to the mechanic and right now are paying $500 a month just to pay off the repair bills :(
We were hoping to pay off our credit card debt before making such a large purchase.  But it couldn't wait.  We sold our old broken down van and purchased a new to us 2015 Chevy Equinox with awesome low mileage.  We hope to have this vehicle for a very long time :)

I was hoping we would be further along with our debt and weight loss journey but things came up and things don't go the way we planned.  I do have faith that we will conquer these battles :) 2 out of 4 isn't bad LOL :)

How are you doing with your 2017 goals?

May 2017 Challenge Update

My May goal was to not eat after 8pm.  How has it been going?

The first week was hard.  With the longer daylight hours, we have been outside past 8pm.  We would come in, have our meds and dessert and not even realize it was after 8pm.

To help with this, I have set an alarm on my phone.  It goes off right at 8pm.  When it goes off, the boys know it is pill time and I know that I can't have anything else to eat.  When I get hungry after 8pm, I drink water.  That helps a lot :)

By 9pm, I get the boys ready for bed.  By the time they finally drift off to sleep and I can quietly escape their room, it is 10pm and I have forgotten all about being hungry :)

When I get up, I start my day with warm lemon water.  I then get the boys breakfast ready.  After that it is 8am and time for me to eat :)

So far so good :)

May 2017 Challenge

Last month's 30 day challenge didn't go so well :(

But that is ok.  It is a new month with a new challenge. 

For the month of May, I am challenging myself to not eat after 8pm.  I hope to be able to tame the late night snacking monster that always seems to pop up.

I eat a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I watch my snacking during the day but as soon as night hits I become hungry.  But not for real food but the yummy chocolatey version.  Which may be the reason I am not seeing any weight loss.

It seems that not eating at certain times of the day has an actual name~ Intermittent Fasting.  I have seen some people do intermittent fasting for 16 hours a day and only eat 2 meals through out the day.  I don't think I could do that. At least not at this moment.  I am trying to keep things simple.  It gives me a better chance at succeeding.  For this month, I am focusing on not eating past 8pm and eating breakfast at 8am.  Giving my body a 12 hour rest period.

Evidentially, intermittent fasting seems to have some health benefits~ who knew?  Miss Elena House has a great informative video on Intermittent fasting as well as the schedule she follows.

Let's see how this month goes :)

Do you do Intermittent Fasting?  What does your eating window look like?

April 2017 Challenge Update

For the month of April, I have challenged myself to not eat any junk food.

The first week was hard and then things started coming around the 2nd week.

So how did I do for the 3rd week?

Anybody want to guess what happened the 3rd week of April?

Easter happened :(

My mind said I can be strong.  I am not going to eat any of this chocolatey goodness.  Remember keep your goal in mind.  We are trying to losing weight.  You can do this.  My hand said Nice Try~ not going to happen.  My taste buds said MMMMMM so worth it.  My tummy said Ouch :(

If you hadn't guessed I didn't do so well this week.  I was so weak.  It was like my hand had a mind of its own.  Every time I walked past the candy bucket, my hand reached in without me having to think about it.  It unwrapped the candy and stuffed it in my mouth.  By the time my brain figured out what was going on, my taste buds were already in LaLa land :(

I can't imagine why I haven't felt well this week.

I finally said enough was enough and hid the candy bucket.  Even though I know where it is.  I don't see it numerous times through out the day.  If I want candy, I have to go an extra step to get into it.  By that time, my brain has a chance of talking me out of eating any.  I think I will ask the Easter Bunny to hop right on past our house next year LOL :)

I am keeping my fingers crossed that next week will be better.  I am tired of not feeling good :(

2 week Challenge Update for April 2017

For April's 30 Day Challenge, I challenged myself to give up junk food.  I knew it was going to be a hard challenge for me.

How has my challenge been going?

The first day, I was so determined.  I ate no junk food all day.  I felt great. 

That is until, I was looking for something in the pantry for dinner the next evening and came face to face with a 1/4 bag of dark chocolate chips.  I talked myself into having only 1 small handful.  That was it.  No more.

Next day, I told myself that I could allow myself 1 handful of chocolate chips like I did the day before and then have no more for the remainder of the day.  No biggie.  I could do this.  Yea, that didn't work.  I ate the rest of the bag.  But now they are out of the house.  No more chocolate chips tempting me :)

Next day while looking for something in one of the kitchen cabinets, what do I spy?  Cookies and leftover Smores supplies from our camping trip.  Oh my.  First the chocolate disappeared, then the marshmallows followed by the cookies- Mmmmm.  I was so sick that day :(  Well, that is what I get for binging on sweets.

Now, I am getting frustrated that I keep finding junk in the house.  I look everywhere.  I think I have eaten it all.  I should be safe now.

The 2nd week into my failing 30 day challenge, I was determined to take it day by day.  The first day, I had super strong chocolate cravings.  I knew there had to be something I could make that would satisfy my sweet cravings without ruining my whole week.

I found a recipe for guilt free brownies- hmmmm.  They are made with avocados.  I had to give it a try.  Super simple ingredients~ I used avocado, coconut oil, peanut butter, eggs, vanilla, a tiny amount of coconut flour, baking soda and salt.  They smelled and rose just like real brownies.  But how did they taste?

They are so not sweet at all.  They are more of a rich super dark chocolate.  I like it.  It is a great substitute for chocolate cravings.  I only ate them for dessert and I limited myself to 1 brownie per evening.

I will take this week as a win :)

Let's hope I can keep this going.  I knew this was going to be rough :)

April 2017~ 30 Day Challenge

For the month of April, my 30 day challenge is no junk food.

This month is going to be difficult for me.  I will have no problem giving up soda, candy or chips.  I will have a huge problem giving up my beloved chocolate.

I kind of have a love/not really like relationship with chocolate.  Here recently chocolate chips.  I love them.  I love to eat them- they are so tasty.  I love all things chocolate.  Unfortunately, thanks to a little diary allergy my poor tummy does not feel the same way :(

I seem to have a routine.  I eat my fruit and oat breakfast.  So yummy and healthy.  I get the boys started on their school work.  I then somehow have a handful of chocolate chips.  When lunch rolls around, I eat my huge salad and am stuffed but feel like I need something sweet~ here comes another handful of chocolate chips.  After dinner, I start craving something sweet~ another handful.  After the boys go to bed, I have 3-4 more handfuls of chocolate chips.

Every time I buy chocolate chips, they really are for a recipe.  Very few make it in the recipe.  They mainly end up in my tummy.

I cannot seem to keep my hands out of the pantry.  I need a chocolate lovers support group.  What a minute.  Wouldn't that feed my chocolate addiction?  I need a Help Me Stop Eating All the Chocolate in the house Support Group :)

I do believe my love of all things chocolate is messing with my weight loss or lack there of.  That is why this challenge is so important to me.  I need to be a healthier me.

Let's see how this month goes......

Let's see how my willpower is when the boys and I make cookies or brownies together :)

March 2017 Challenge Update

Hello April :) 

March's 30 day challenge was to have a No Spend Month.  How did we do?  We started out strong.  We stayed at home on the weekends and had a blast.  You can read all about our No Spend Monthly Adventures here, here and here.

Staying home resulted in a smaller gas budget- YAY :)  We usually budget $150 a month for gas and only spent $65 :)

We stayed within our $200 grocery budget and used what we had in the pantry and freezer.  We still have food in the pantry and freezer to eat :)  We did a fantastic job not eating out.  There were days we were tired and didn't feel like cooking.  Eating out is so easy but thanks to left overs and easy meals, we didn't give ourselves that option.

I would love to say that our No Spend Month was a success and that we used a large chunk of money to pay down our credit card debt.  But you know me :)  All of our No Spend Month's have ended with snafus :(  Including this month.

Our septic decided that it needed such immediate attention that 1 company couldn't fix it.  We had to end up going through 2 companies to fix it :(  Ugggg.  I was imagining the final bills having many 0's.  Thankfully it wasn't that bad.

We are happy that our septic system is running beautifully and that since we were having a no spend month that we were able to pay those plumbing bills without having to touch our emergency fund.  We were also told that our septic should be good for the next 4-6 years :)

What I have taken away from this No Spend Month is that we don't always have to have something going on.  We can stay at home and still have so much fun:)

I can't wait to see how April's 30 Day Challenge will go :)

March 2017~ 30 Day Challenge

For our March 30 Day Challenge, our family has decided to have a No Spend Month :)

We made a very big purchase last month and nearly cleared out our checking account.  We were hoping to be able to put off this major purchase until after we had our credit card debt completely paid off.  Well, that didn't happen.  Thankfully, we didn't touch our emergency fund.  But we are in desperate need of a financial reset :)

For our No Spend Month we have chosen to:

-To stay close to home so that we can lower our gas budget

-To do as many activities at home~ they are FREE at home :)

-To do a pantry, fridge and freezer challenge

-To only shop twice a month

-No eating out

We hope to use the money we will save to put a nice big dent in our credit card debt.  We shall see :)

February 2017 Challenge Update

The February goal I set for myself has come to an end.  How did I do?

I challenged myself to complete Jessica Smith's 4 week HIIT for Beginners program.  There were definitely days I wanted to give up.  There were days I had to do the modified versions of the exercise.  There were days I didn't even want to do any type of exercise at all.  I didn't give up and I didn't give in.  I pushed myself to do my very best and I completed the 4 week program.  On the flip side, there were workouts I actually loved doing, which made working out for that day much more enjoyable.  I am so very proud of myself for seeing it to the end.

Now what does that mean for my weight loss goals?  Absolutely nothing.  I lost 0 pounds this month.  That alone would discourage a lot of people into giving up and quitting.  But I choose to see the positive.  While I didn't lose any weight, I didn't gain any either :)

I know very good and well why I didn't lose any weight.  I allowed myself to enjoy all sorts of tasty and yummy desserts and snacks~ Mmmmm.  It's all about baby steps.  I am still eating a healthy breakfast and lunch.  I will continue to exercise.  If I do too much all at once, I get over whelmed, will quit and will lose all my progress.  So I am choosing the slow and steady rate~ baby steps.  I know I will get there.

If you chose to complete Jessica Smith's 4 week HIIT for beginners right along with me, how did you do?  I would love to hear all about it :)

February 2017 Challenge Update

Well I survived my first full week of HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training.  I have been following Jessica Smith's 4 Week HIIT for Beginner Plan.

Even though it was hard and there were days I felt I wasn't going to make it all the way through the work out, I kept going.  I am so proud of myself.

I have also been more mindful of my snacking.  I have discovered by adding oats to my warm cereal bowl, it keeps me full and helps me avoid unnecessary snacking.

 I told my husband that 2017 was going to the year of Theresa :)  Time for me to start taking better care of myself.

How did you do with your February Challenge?

February 2017~ 30 Day Challenge

I had such a great experience with my January 30 Day Challenge that I am super excited about my February 30 Day Challenge.

In February, I challenge myself to rev up my exercise.  In January, I did a plank, crunch and leg raise plan that I found on Pinterest.  I followed that with 10 minutes on my Gazelle and 10 minutes on my bike. 

I have always enjoyed doing walking workouts at home.  There are so many workouts available on YouTube for free :)  I came across a YouTuber from Florida and fell in love with many of her exercise videos.  She recently created a 4 week HIIT for Beginner program.

I am going to follow her schedule and continue to eat a healthy breakfast and lunch.  I can't wait to see what my end of February results look like :) 

Want to join?  I wish I could get together with everyone and we could all workout together.  How fun would that be?  If getting more exercise is something you have resolved to do or a goal you have set for yourself, feel free to jump right in.  I would love to hear how you are doing :)

January 2017~ 30 Day Challenge Update

My 30 day challenge for January has come to an end.  My challenge was to eat a healthy lunch?  How did I do? 

I did great and even lost 1 pound :)

I'm happy about my 1 pound lost and super happy that I kept it off all month :)  My tendency is to restrict snacks and desserts.  I end up losing a few more pounds but then those super sneaky sugar cravings come around.  I give in :( 

Now it would be one thing if I could eat a few pieces of chocolate to satisfy my sweet tooth.  But not me~ I will eat the whole bag and undo all my progress I had made.  I get so frustrated with myself and usually give up.  I not only gain back the weight I lost but those pesky pounds bring friends :(

For January, I gave myself grace to not get upset at the number on the scale or that the scale was not moving past that 1 pound.  I let myself enjoy desserts, especially the huge cheesecake sampler hubby got me for my birthday. Mmmmm:)  I gave myself permission to enjoy every single bite.

I call January a huge win.  My body has enjoyed all the fresh fruit I have been feeding it.

I can't wait to get started on my February 30 Day Challenge :)

Our 2017 Goals

I know a lot of people are sitting down and jotting down their 2017 New Year Resolutions.  I gave up on the word resolution some time ago. I renamed them goals :( 

I wanted to make goals for our family.  In the beginning, I would be so hyped up for this new journey.  I had the best of intentions, but sadly never followed through with them.  I would get so discouraged that I never devoted the time to completing them.

Now in 2017, I didn't even want to set any goals for this year.  But then I realized that sometimes goal setting can be positive.  After much thought, I came up with 4 goals for our family for 2017.

They are:
1) To get out of credit card debt- we are currently sitting at $9,919.34
2) To finally lose this extra "baby" weight- this has been a goal for a few years but some how the scale went in the opposite direction and instead of needing to lose 10-15 pounds that number has crept up to 35 pounds :(
3) For Nathan and myself to get new glasses.  I desperately need new glasses, we have figured out that super glue is not all that super or permanent :(
4) To get a new to us vehicle.  I LOVE the fact that our vehicle is paid off and do not look forward to having a vehicle payment but our poor poor van is on its last breath :(  We keep having to take it in to the mechanic and right now are paying $500 a month just to pay off the repair bills :(

To help with the first 2 goals, I am not thinking of them as goals for this year.  I am thinking of them as mini monthly challenges.  I am hoping that by setting mini challenges that I will follow through better and am hoping that they will be become positive habits :)

By setting up small challenges, I hope to trick my brain into not thinking of a long year commitment but rather a short monthly challenge.  Baby steps :)

My Mini Monthly Challenge for January is starting with eating a healthy lunch.  I do a good job for breakfast.  I eat oatmeal with fruit every single day.  Recently, I have discovered a warm cereal recipe that is sooo delicious.  I have been eating that instead of my normal fruity oatmeal.  Now for lunch, I am having a Chocolate Banana Avocado Spinach Protein Smoothie- Mmmmmm.  It is good and filling.  For dinner, I am eating what is on our dinner menu plan.  Like I said Baby steps.  One of my favorite You Tubers states that losing weight is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise.  I am curious to see what is going to happen at the end of this month :)